Grace Marks in CBSE Class 12 2026: Check Passing Mark Criteria & Maximum Marks

CBSE 12th 2026 ( CBSE 12th )

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CBSE 12th Compartment Exam 2026

28 Jul '26

Anangsha
Anangsha Patra
Deputy Manager – Editorial
Updated on Jun 11, 2026 15:34 IST
CBSE has the provision of awarding grace marks to students under certain circumstances. According to CBSE, the passing marks in Class 12 are 33%. If any student is not able to achieve 33% marks and miss out by one mark or so then the board awards grace marks to students.

Following OSM controversy, students are demanding grace marks in CBSE 12th exam. However, there is no update from the board regarding awarding grace marks. CBSE offers grace marks to students if any student is not able to achieve 33% marks and miss out by one mark or so. Read here for more details on grace marks in CBSE Class 12.

Grace Marks in CBSE Class 12

Grace Marks in CBSE Class 12

CBSE Class 12 Grace Marks: This year Central Board of Secondary Education faced huge backlash due to OSM controversy. Students are demanding grace marks. However, there is no update from board regarding this. The revaluation portal closed recently. After the revaluation result is made available, students can find whether grace marks have been awarded to them or not.

There is provision of awarding grace marks to students under certain circumstances. According to CBSE, the passing marks in Class 12 are 33%. If any student is not able to achieve 33% marks and misses out by one mark or so, then the board awards grace marks to students. This is done so that no student fails due to a small margin. Read below for more details on grace marks in CBSE Class 12.

Table of contents
  • What is Grace Marks in CBSE Class 12?
  • CBSE Class 12 Grace Marks Policy
  • Grace Marks in CBSE Class 12 2026: Check Passing Criteria
  • CBSE Class 12th Grace Marks 2026: How can Apply for Compartment?

What is Grace Marks in CBSE Class 12?

Grace marks in CBSE Class 12 are also considered when questions are excessively difficult, outside the prescribed syllabus, or if the paper is unusually lengthy.

Also Read: CBSE Class 12 Result 2026

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Will CBSE offer grace marks in Class 12 Physics paper 2026?
A: 

The passing marks in CBSE Class 12 are 33%. In case candidates fail to achieve this by one mark, the grace marks are given to students. Students said that the Physics paper was tough and they demand grace marks for this paper. However, there is no update from CBSE regarding this. 

Q:   How many grace marks are given in CBSE Class 12 exam?
A: 

According to CBSE, the passing marks in Class 12 are 33%. If any student is not able to achieve 33% marks and misses out by one mark or so, then the board awards grace marks to students.

Q:   What is CBSE Class 12 grace marks policy?
A: 

Grace marks in CBSE Class 12 is also considered when questions are excessively difficult, outside the prescribed syllabus, or if the paper is unusually lengthy.

Q:   Who can give CBSE Class 12 compartment exam?
A: 

A candidate failing in one of the five subjects of external examination is placed in a compartment in that subject, provided they qualify in all the subjects of internal assessment.

CBSE Class 12 Grace Marks Policy

In Theory and Practice, students are required to secure 33% separately. For eg: If any student secures 32 marks instead of 33, they are given grace marks to pass the exam. This completely depends on the board.  

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Grace Marks in CBSE Class 12 2026: Check Passing Criteria

Candidates will be eligible to get the pass certificate if they get a grade higher than E in all subjects of internal assessment, unless they are exempted. Failing this, the result of the external examination will be withheld but not for a period of more than one year. They need to obtain this grade in all five subjects of external examination in the main or at the compartmental examinations.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is the passing marks for CBSE 12th exam?
A: 

To pass the CBSE 12th board exams 2026, students must secure a minimum of 33 per cent in each subject including theory, practicals, and internal assessments. For subjects with practicals, students must pass in both theory and practical separately. Overall students must achieve at least 33 per cent in each subject.

Q:   Does CBSE deduct marks for lengthy answers?
A: 

No, CBSE does not deduct marks for exceeding the word limit in the board exams. However, marks may be deducted for spelling mistakes and other errors in language papers. 

Q:   What entrance exams can I appear for after completing my Class 12 in Arts stream?
A: 

After finishing Class 12 in Arts or Humanities stream, students can appear for many entrance examinations, some of which are mentioned below:

NIFT

NCHMCT JEE

IIMC Entrance Exam

JMI Entrance Exam

XIC- OET

JNUEE

DUET

PUBDET

Q:   Does CBSE provide grace marks in the class 12 exam?
A: 

Yes, CBSE gives grace marks to those students who are unable to clear the exam by a maximum of 3 marks in the exam.

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CBSE Class 12th Grace Marks 2026: How can Apply for Compartment?

Students who fail in one subject out of five are placed under compartment category. They need to clear this by appearing in the compartment exam.

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Anangsha Patra
Deputy Manager – Editorial
Anangsha Patra is MA in Mass Communication & Journalism with more than 10 years of experience in the field of Journalism, Content Writing and Editing. At Shiksha.Com, she works as Deputy Manager-Content for the Sark
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Answered 2 days ago

It depends on the stream and college. For DU's Science colleges, CUET UG scores decide admission rather than 12th marks directly. For engineering, JEE Main or JEE Advanced ranks are needed along with meeting a minimum Class 12 percentage cutoff. Medical admission always needs a valid NEET UG score,

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Tasbiya Khan

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Yes, students can apply for a BDes course while waiting for their class 12th results. They can appear for entrance exams like CUET or UCEED. Enrollment will happen on provisional basis, which means it is on the condition that they pass class 12th with the college desired percentage and all required

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Bhavya Jain

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Yes, students can apply for BSc Agriculture while waiting for their class 12th results. They can appear for entrance exams like CUET or ICAR. Enrollment will happen on provisional basis, which means it is on the condition that they pass class 12th with the college desired percentage and all required

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Bhavya Jain

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No, according to the eligibility criteria for B.E/B.Tech courses, the students are to get at least 60% in their 12th standard. Along with these marks, there are more criterion to be fulfilled.

·       High School Degree (60%)

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·       English Proficiency Test (IELTS -6, TOEFL-61)

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Khushi Arora

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There is no confirmation whether candidates can apply for BBA LLB (hons) admission at SAGE University, Indore before receiving Class 12th result. As a result, they should contact admission desk before applying for this course. Generally, candidates can apply for admissions before receiving Class 12

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Saurabh Khanduri

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Answered a week ago

Yes, students can apply for BSc Nursing while awaiting their class 12th results. Students have to submit a passing certificate and verify their minimum eligibility percentage while submitting final documents.

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Bhavya Jain

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Symbiosis College of Arts & Commerce handles its BCom admission purely through an online merit-list system. The college does not publish a fixed minimum cutoff percentage before the registration starts. The final cutoffs depend on the 12th board scores of all the applicants who apply that year. Aimi

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Rashmi Karan

Contributor-Level 9

Answered a week ago

Symbiosis College of Arts & Commerce provides a very strict 3-day timeline to submit your final 12th marks for BA processing. The window opens immediately after board results are declared. If you fail to log in and save your scores within three days, your application gets blocked automatically.

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Rashmi Karan

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Answered 2 weeks ago

Yes, Stanford University invites applicants globally including India. However, to get selected, students need to secure excellent marks in previous qualifying exams. Plus take the university or language exams, if required.  

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Rupali Arora

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Yes, students can apply for Travel and Tourism course while waiting for their class 12th results. They can appear for entrance exams and enroll on provisional basis, which means it is on the condition that they pass class 12th with the college desired percentage and all required conditions. Students

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Bhavya Jain

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